Activision Confirms AI Use in Call of Duty Amid Player Backlash and Controversy!

It’s official, as confirmed by Activision and the team responsible for Call of Duty, there has been much speculation about this for quite some time – both Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and Warzone incorporate artificial intelligence-generated content.

During Black Ops 6’s Season 1 “Merry Mayhem” event, players noticed a loading screen depicting a six-fingered zombie Santa – a distinctive trait often seen in content generated by artificial intelligence. Upon further investigation, it appeared that several other in-game items such as loading screens, weapon skins, and player cards given out as rewards or available for purchase in the game store might also have been AI-created.

In the current scenario, Activision chose not to comment on the possibility of incorporating generative AI into Call of Duty, despite increasing player criticism. On Reddit, some users even voiced their annoyance over what they perceived as “AI-generated content” in a high-priced AAA game that is already saturated with battle passes, event passes, and cosmetic microtransactions.

As a researcher delving into the gaming industry, I’ve noticed an interesting trend: AI-generated content is no longer confined to in-game rewards. Both Infinity Ward and Treyarch, renowned studios under Activision, have been incorporating generative AI into their holiday social media posts.

Moreover, recent job postings from Activision reveal a growing interest in individuals with expertise in generative AI. It seems that the company and its studios are actively seeking talent to further harness this technology.

In an exciting development, Activision announced a partnership with Modulate, an AI-powered chat moderation tool, in preparation for the launch of Modern Warfare 3 in 2023. This collaboration is not a new venture for Activision, as AI chat moderation has been in use since the launch of Black Ops 6.

As a researcher exploring gaming trends, I can share that Call of Duty is accessible across platforms such as Xbox, PlayStation, and PC. It’s distributed through various channels like Battle.net, the Microsoft Store, and Steam. Notably, Steam recently revised its policies to accommodate AI-generated content in games, a shift from their initial ban on such content.

Although Steam allows AI-created games with a cautionary policy, Activision’s application of generative AI could bring up extra challenges for the company. With Call of Duty earning billions yearly from game sales and in-game transactions, there are potential problems on the horizon. Notably, as of January 2025, the United States Copyright Office has published a report stating that AI-generated content, even when helping human creativity, cannot be protected by copyright law.

The policy on copyright protection doesn’t restrict the application of generative AI in creating works-in-progress, such as potential in-game cosmetics designed by Activision. However, it’s important to note that unaltered AI-generated visuals used for things like loading screens and weapon decals may not qualify for copyright protection unless they are modified or touched up by a human artist. Furthermore, the prompts utilized to generate images or text through AI are not subject to copyright protection either.

From my vantage point, despite vocal opposition from players over Activision’s implementation of generative AI, it appears that the publisher, under Microsoft’s wing and heavily investing in AI technology, shows no signs of retreating from these tools. In fact, Microsoft has recently revealed a new AI tool called Muse, intended to assist in game preservation, but met with criticism by both developers and gamers. However, it seems these concerns are not being addressed as the major tech companies persist in championing AI as the future of gaming.

2025-02-25 08:10

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